What do you get when you combine tater tots and nachos? Totchos! These bite size baked potato puffs are made All American style with red, white, and blue toppings including cheese, bacon, and crispy potato strips!
Totchos are delicious served like nachos as an appetizer or bake them in individual ramekins like I did and serve as a entree or side dish. This family friendly meal would be a delicious addition to your 4th of July cookout!
Ingredients:
Makes 4 individual servings
- 1 lb tater tots, frozen {about half a bag}
- 1/2 cup white cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup bacon, crumbles
- 1/2 yellow or white onion, diced
- 2 mini sweet red peppers, seeded and diced {or you can add diced tomatoes}
- 2 small purple potatoes, peeled and julienned {or substitute blue tortilla strips}
- vegetable oil, for frying
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Spread tater tots out in an even row on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes until golden and warm.
- Meanwhile, peel and thinly julienne the potatoes. You can use a mandoline or a spiralizer at the thinnest setting.
- Add cut potatoes to a bowl of water to remove excess starch then dry out on a few paper towels, patting dry.
- Heat a small pot over medium heat with about 2 inches of oil, heated to about 375 degrees.
- Once the oil is to temp, add a couple pinches of potatoes and fry until crisp, about 20-30 seconds.
- Drain on a papertowel lined plate and repeat with remaining potatoes.
- When the tots are cooked, turn the oven down to 375 degrees.
- Separate the tots into four ramekins, piled high.
- Sprinkle liberally with toppings: diced peppers, bacon, onions, and lots of shredded cheese.
- Place the ramekins in the oven and bake just until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from oven and top with a pinch of fried purple {or blue in this case} potato strips.
- Serve warm and dig in to this All American meal!
I use regular frozen tater tots or sweet potato tater tots for this recipe.
Bake about 1/2 the bag.
Spread out on a baking sheet and bake the tots according to the package instructions.
I baked mine for 20 minutes at 425 degrees.
Bake until golden then let cool slightly.
Now time to make your potato strips!
I use purple potatoes {let’s just call them blue to stick with the patriotic theme!} from this variety of small potatoes bag.
These potatoes are small so you will need about 2 for making the crispy potato strips.
Wash and peel the potatoes.
If you have a julienne setting on your madoline you can use that or a spiralizer like I did.
Add cut potatoes to a bowl of water to remove excess starch.
Dry out on a few paper towels, patting dry.
Heat a small pot over medium heat with about 2 inches of oil heated to 375 degrees.
Once the oil is to temp, add a couple pinches of potatoes and fry until crisp, about 20-30 seconds.
Drain on a papertowel lined plate and repeat with remaining potatoes.
I love to use diced mini sweet peppers {just the red for this recipe}.
You could also use diced tomatoes.
Once the tots are out of the oven turn the temp to 375 degrees.
Now time to top your tots!
Separate the tots into four ramekins, piled high.
Top with shredded cheese, diced red peppers, bacon crumbles, and diced white onions.
Place the ramekins in the oven and bake just until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
Remove from oven and top with a pinch of fried purple {or blue in this case} potato strips.
Serve warm and dig in!
The perfect bite: a crispy tot topped with gooey cheese, smokey bacon, peppers, onions, and a crunchy potato strip! It doesn’t get better than that!
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